fickle, funny, flawed, gorgeous

I have never had a pet. Except for one day when I was five or six when I picked up a kitten from a warehouse I had gone to visit with someo...

In the main concourse of the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam hangs a large notice which begins by saying that I may not like everything that I wa...

The other day, my younger son and I went on a 10-mile bike ride punctuating our ride with breaks for snacks, dangling our f...

It was some time in the late 90s. An ex-boss who had been born and raised in Britain and had returned to India mentioned something about Mo...

 Rhubarb, marrow, plums, blackberries. 

 Continued from here The phone never rang unless it was to announce someone's death. Its loud piercing shriek broke through the t...

Recently, I came across a promotion by an Indian radio station. They were giving away pepper sprays for free in the wake of Delhi gang-rap...

It would have to be கத்திரிக்காய் again, sighed Vatsala. The புடலங்காய் and the பாவக்காய் were in season and would have made an excellent ...

Coming soon.

Part - 27 The woman Padmaja spots in the far corner of the music hall looks familiar. The hair is the same as she remembers, only it ...

Part - 26 “When I was little, my mother used to talk about someone called Ammani athai”, Padmaja begins while attempting to reduce ...

Part - 25 “Let me do that”, he says taking the light bulb forcibly from her hands. The light has blown a fuse that evening wh...

Part - 24 They are sitting in an auditorium as it begins to fill up, soon it will be swarming. Good thing they were able to get in ...

Part- 23 Out of nowhere, a memory comes unbidden. Padmaja is newly-married and she is visiting a temple along with a clamour of un...

Part - 22 “How old were you when this photo was taken, paati?” The school had been flooded and Tara was there to spend the day ...

Part - 21 “I was going to tell you that my car brokedown nearby. Then I thought that sounded feeble as an excuse, even to my own ears...

Part - 20 “Padma, you know the doctor you told me about? Dr. Velmurgan or something” “You know very well what his name is, Kam...

Part - 19 Saktivel had married Srivalli, a girl chosen by his parents. They had had two sons who were now 32 and 30 respectively....

Part - 18 When she is by herself, Padmaja does not bother cooking elaborate meals. Often it is just some rice and vegetable. But ...

Part - 17 “Are you waiting for me, Kamakshi?”, asked Padmaja a little breathless from climbing the stair case. She had never been...

The other day I had been to the Indian High Commission in London. I had heard horror stories about the chaos and lack of order at our ...

Part - 16 The drain in Sanjana's house and was going to take a good few days to be repaired. She along with daughter Tara, had tempor...

Part 15    “Ah, it's you”, says the tall lady (Padmaja should really find out her name), “you're back. I thought you had forgot...

 Part - 14 For the community notice board. Highly experienced retired primary school teacher offers FREE tuition lessons for  ...

Part - 13 They had painted the slide red. It used to be green to match the colour of the uniform. Red just didn't seem right in t...

Part 12 There are things that people do when they eat out alone. Like use their mobile phone to call others they would never talk to ...

Part 11 “Chee! You ought to be ashamed of yourself”, thunders Sanjana. The drains in Sanjana's flat were blocked that morn...

Part 10 She is not quite sure how to indicate that she is following the conversation. If you can call it a conversation, that is. ...

Part 9   “If you wanted to do something, anything, then why didn't you just tell me?”, begins Kamakshi. “I would have introduce...

Part 8 Respected Madam, I am writing to you about your advertisement in last Sunday. I am G.Krishnan, aged 48 years old, w...

Part 7 Dear Mrs, With regards to your advertisement in last Sunday's Hindu. My name is Mr.S.G.Santhanam. I am 65 years old....